Hanafin defends schools over lack of places

Parents moving home were warned today to contact schools well in advance so provisions can be made for pupils.

Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said families with school-age children relocating mid-term were being faced with no places left in classrooms.

Ms Hanafin said although provisions are made at the beginning of the school year to ensure all pending students secure schooling, they could not foresee what age group of children may move to an area.

"It is very difficult for forward planning either for the school or the department if we don't know what children are due to show up," she said. "I am very sympathetic to families who have to move. But I would say to you please, wherever you are going to move, particularly to those developing areas, to give advance notice to the schools so we can make provision for you.

"We will respond very quickly if we know who to expect."

Ms Hanafin was speaking out after parents who have moved to Newbridge, Co Kildare, were told there is no more room in many of the town's schools.

"The difficulty seems to be in Newbridge that we knew who to expect at the beginning of the school year, but unfortunately the schools don't know who to expect in the middle of the year," she said.

"If you are a parent who is going to move to Newbridge please contact the schools, give an indication as to what class your child wants to go in to to determine is there availability.

"If you do that, if necessary, they can apply for temporary accommodation. Unfortunately, even temporary accommodation requires planning permission which can take six weeks."

Ms Hanafin told RTÉ's Morning Irelandit was anticipated there would have been a new school in Newbridge by now and that despite sanction given to the Catholic Church two years ago to provide a new school, it hasn't been built due to difficulties with the site.

Fine Gael's education spokeswoman  Olwyn Enright said it wasn't good enough.

"People have to move all of the time," she said. "I appreciate they should notify the schools as far in advance as possible, but they should have a reasonable expectation that there will be school places available."

She said the Minister's response shows how bad the situation in Newbridge and other towns is. "All the schools are chock a block and there isn't room," she added. "The fact is that a small amount of families arriving can throw the whole system out of sync. We need to be quicker in providing schools."